Lenka lichtenberg

Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, Lenka performed in musical theatre since childhood, and studied classical music at Prague Music Conservatory. Escaping the Communist regime, Lenka arrived in Vancouver, B.C. as a landed immigrant. She received her B.Ed. (University of British Columbia) and Master’s Degree in Ethnomusicology (York University), and taught music at the Toronto Metropolitan University (1997-2005) while raising three children. 

Lenka tours internationally as a soloist, and with various ensembles. In 2023 – 2024, audiences loved her projects in Copenhagen, Montreal, Prague, Madrid, Sao Paolo, Buenos Aires, Edinburgh Fringe, Taipei, Sydney,Tokyo, Calgary’s National Music Centre and Ottawa’s National Arts Centre.

Lenka’s albums (ARC Music, UK; Six Degrees, USA) received multiple nominations, two Canadian Folk Music Awards, a Juno Award, an Independent Music Award, and a Global Music Award. 

The 2023 JUNO-winning album Thieves of Dreams is based on poetry that her grandmother wrote in the concentration camp Theresienstadt during WW2. It brought Lenka’s work media attention in Canada and abroad, including an interview on CBC’s Q and BBC in London. Her 2024 Feel With Blood: Echoes of Theresienstadt  further explores and expands this source material in English to broaden its reach. 

Since 2020, Lenka lives on a farm in Eastern Ontario with her husband and two lovable rescue dogs, growing vegetables or touring, and loving her time at Congregation Darchei Noam as a service leader.